Tips for looking after your wellbeing as a teacher/leader

When asked in an interview at one point in my career, I was asked how I would manage with an increased workload. I remember giving my answer and then saying: “The only time to worry about me is if I am not able to run 35 miles per week.” I said this a slight tongue-in-cheek statement; however, having decided to run on ice during the December, I managed to injure my tibia and wasn’t able to run for almost two months. I found that this throwaway remark in an interview turning out to be true. 

As our workloads often come to pinch points in the next few months, this blog will look at some strategies I use in order to try and look after my own wellbeing as a teacher, and as a middle leader. 

1. Remove your emails from your devices

I am incredibly lucky to have been coached and mentored by some incredible leaders during my time, and they have helped me analyse the way in which I work. One of the things that I noticed was that my way of working is that if someone emails me, I panic and think I must volley back immediately with a response. As a leader, if I send emails at a weekend (because that’s when I have time to consider things without the day-to-day pressures of being on-site), I delay the delivery until a Monday. However, not everyone works this way. Deleting email apps from your devices means that you have to make a conscious login to access your emails, meaning you can control when you see emails and respond to them in a time that is convenient to you; rather than feeling the pressure to respond immediately.

2. Learn how to park

On the subject of emails, email parking, especially as a leader, is crucial at times to help manage your wellbeing. Sometimes, colleagues will reply immediately to an email sent, resulting in an ensuing rally of emails which can become time consuming. If you are at break on a full-teaching day, if you can and the email is non-urgent, park the email (or leave the email unanswered) until you have the time to give it your time to respond.

3. Converse

Emails tend to be our default nowadays, often with them being far more convenient to send rather than hunt someone out to have a physical conversation with. Conversations are so important and can save a lot of time; but more importantly, they avoid people reading into emails and unnecessarily reading between the lines, creating friction.

4. Fit exercise into your week

When injury hit, it made me really appreciate that running for me is not about the races (yes, I do competitively race from time-to-time); rather it’s about being able to run off any stress accumulated during the day to balance my mind. Some people exercise before school; some after – it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it helps to balance your mind, fill you with endorphins and balance and manage stress – be it in the form of an after-work stroll, yoga, a run or a swim. 

5. Find a sanctuary

Sometimes if I am feeling particularly under pressure and I have lunch coming up or a break, I take myself off outside to a little corner tucked away from people in order to get some fresh air and to reset. It allows me to take some time for myself, meditate if needed and reset. 

6. Find someone you can talk to

One of the pieces of advice I was given when taking up a more senior middle leadership post which included me on the extended leadership team, was to find someone I could talk to. I have that person and we support each other with the day-to-day events we face that other members of our team might not come across. We coach each other, mentor each other, offer advice based on our strengths and ask questions if we are unsure. I am saying this as a leader; but I think especially for ECT teachers, this is essential. Having someone on your level who you can trust is essential as you might often wonder if you are doing things wrong, are certain students only being difficult in your lessons? Chances are that you are doing things right and those students are being difficult for others. Having someone who can sound you out and tell you this is worth its weight in gold for your own wellbeing; but these are often the people that you will progress your career with and will push you to develop as a teacher. Keep them close and treasure them

7. Get into a routine and stick to it 

We often talk about the sense of security that predictability can bring; and for me, this manifests itself in routine. I get up at the same time every morning, start the day with press-ups and yoga, followed by a coffee and breakfast before getting ready and leaving for work. When I get into work, I log on, do my printing and log onto all of the computers I will be using. This helps to keep my day predictable and ensures I am in control of everything I can be, keeping me calm.

8. Know when enough is enough

Sometimes we can fall into the trap of wanting to get everything to the absolute best standard we can; but unfortunately, this will never ever work in education. Being able to say I’ve done enough and walk away is vitally important to keep ourselves sane. This also comes to leaving work at a sensible time. We need to switch off and reset for the next day.

9. Sleep mode

I am a firm believer in a good night’s sleep to help keep my mind in the right place. I have set my phone to include a sleep mode, which incorporates my alarm and stops notifications. Picking up notifications and looking at phones late at night can disrupt our quality of sleep. 

10. Share and adapt

With my team, we share our resources and adapt to the needs of our students. Doing this is essential to try and keep things manageable. If you share what you produce, you should expect others to help you our when things become busy.